He was seen by witnesses fleeing the scene with a gun in his hand, police said.
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According to local reports, the shooting occured on Saturday afternoon near the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque in the NY borough of Queens.
The deadly incident took place outside the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Ozone Park section of Queens.
“There’s nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted due to their faith”, said Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner.
No arrests have been made, the investigation is ongoing, and police said they are looking for surveillance video and additional witnesses.
Police say they haven’t determined a motive for the killings Saturday, and that there’s no indication the men were targeted due to their faith.
Police released a sketch early Sunday of a dark-haired, bearded man wearing glasses. Akonjee and another man died in a fatal shooting Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Queens borough of NY after prayers.
Akonjee was well known in the community, as many people said they had gone to him for advice.
Members of the Bangladeshi Muslim community are holding a rally at the site where an imam and his friend were fatally shot while walking home from a mosque.
Police say they don’t know the motive for the shootings and that there’s no indication the men were targeted due to their faith.
Shahin Chowdhury, a worshipper at the mosque, said members of the community had felt animosity lately, with people cursing while passing the mosque.
Naima Akonjee said her father didn’t “have any problems with anyone”.
“The community’s heart is totally broken. It’s a great loss to the community and it’s a great loss to the society”, he was quoted as saying.
She said her father used to call her just to check up on whether she had eaten properly.
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“A very honest, wise man”. “It’s really threatening to us, threatening to our future, threatening to our mobility in our neighborhood and we’re looking for the justice”, said resident Millat Uddin.
